Even in the Strangest Experience...
God is never on hiatus over anything that concerns you. Be steadfast, be at peace and know that you are worth more than the birds to Him.
The piece you are about to ingest is inspired by Job’s encounter in the bible. But for some reason, I feel like many have either visited this terrain or merely groping for light out of such unpleasant experiences. Unlike my other pieces, kindly permit me to focus about 7o% of our investigations or learning on job’s account, would you?
If you have visited the account of Job, you would for a moment be tempted to step into Job’s shoes to play the blame game when he lacked words or means to decipher nor describe his predicament. Doing justice to our analogy is mentally applying ourselves in Job’s shoes, to be simply empathetic. When you see an emotional movie to the point of getting emotional with the characters and seeing yourself in tears like the characters, it means you journeyed into the characters of the actors and became sympathetic to their plight as if it were your experience.
In the case of Job, you need to picture yourself being first oblivious of the judgment on you. The consensus with God to try Job didn’t factor his opinion, thought or feeling. Eventhough God knew how well to use what seemed like an adventure of the enemy for good, job was clueless about what befell him.
You see!, Job was one of the wise men in his time. He was well revered as an honorable member and leader in his clime. He was a devout Christian, which made him walk according to the teaching of his fathers, sufficient to be regarded as one who feared and regarded The Lord.
He was notable for his role as a wise counselor to not only the young but also the elderly. He didn’t have to labour so much to become wealthy, as he could have been wealthy and gotten his barn full of harvest from the proceeds of his wealth of impacts and social services in his land. It was a privilege to honor such a man of high standing with gifts and titles with commensurable benefits.
This was his daily circadian; to enjoy his good life going, worship God and sacrifice to protect the children from being the reason the sweet routine life stopped abruptly. It wasn’t about what he did as much as it was about who God is.
The eventful day like every other day hatched hope of several promises and glory until it turned out to be the very event that made such a happy Job curse the very day he was ever brought to earth. In his thought the only way the sad event would have been averted was if he had never been borne. A once seeming fulfilled man became burdened in his soul and expressed his hurt and undeserving predicament that had befallen him.
You see!, sometimes life happens and in your human quest to diagnose, there really isn’t any human sign to hint an extremely sad nor happy day. Studying job’s life, I can imagine how he went about the day beginning with thanks unto God as was his culture. Offered sacrifices when the children celebrated. Did everything religiously right and the ill occurred that had already been orchestrated.
The first chapter of Job introduces us to our title today. I initially thought to caption this piece; “A while he was yet speaking experience” but I was led otherwise to rather encourage us on how to navigate such season. However, we shall look slightly into the experience.
Job one verse; 13And there was a day (like every other day), when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their elder brother’s house.
14And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the assess feeding beside them:
15And the sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
16While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
18While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
When all these disheartening events occurred, the scripture recorded how he arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshipped, and blessed the name of the Lord.
The sequence of jobs reaction is important to us as believers. He by himself stripped himself of every worthiness, he thought he deserved. Every thing that defined his worth was taken away, and that broke him as a human. Don’t be so religious, not to be empathetic. Let us for a moment picture a contemporary job who by God’s grace managed to build a successful empire, alongside his equally successful children. With partnership recognition in almost every nation and even the western nations. A connoisseur of social services with titles that bequeathed benefits to him. A lot becomes at stake when any is tampered with. It wasn't going to be an easy ‘snap out of it’ adjustment for him. He was a personification of what the people in his clime could relate to as a man blessed by God.
Have you gone through such experience(s)?
If you had ever been through such an experience as a child, it may be difficult to recall. But such experience (s) as an adult is fabricated in the delicate part of your memory so that the lessons learned is incapable of being erased.
Some months ago, I attended an extremely glorious celebration of matrimony of my twin sister, back in my home town. It was one of the most exciting moment for me, from the preparation to the wedding proper. I still smile and get tickled when I reminisce over the experience.
I was barely back from the occasion when I got the news that my dad had passed on to glory. Yes to glory! It wasn’t about the destination but as human, the timing.
Just as I was mourning my late dad, and trying again to adjust, I lost my job. I said job not Job. lol!
The lines in writing are fewer in words compared to the very reality. Those were seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months of grief. Like Job, I didn’t even consider my empire, well maybe because I didn’t have one but I immediately fell down and glorified God. I did that because even though the grief, pain and loss were obvious, there was something I couldn’t see, but seemed more real; My goodness! The peace was second to none. I immediately knew God had strengthened me before everything happened.
That was my ‘while he was yet speaking’ experience. An experience that checks your allegiance and trust. Integrity of your salvation and the consistency of your faith in Christ.
Job one verse twenty-two, in all this Job
sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
It became even more challenging as more allowances were given for the enemy to try Job even more. Later on in the story, It became unbearable like the very scotching sun on a summer.
Job did a lot of navigation in his heart to decipher where he must have offended God, but couldn’t find anything. It wasn’t about what he did as much as it was about the heralding sovereignty of God, the Just Judge.
Job had a lot to say to justify himself, from being a philanthropist to holding positions to prosecute justice in his community and much more. But was cautioned when one of his friends spoke to let him know that it was out of divine order for man to justify himself rather than God. You know the popular phrase “why me?”. Why not so and so and so that are always doing obvious wrongs.
I am here to tell you to take comfort in the truth that God is not so wicked to forsake us in the time of dire need. Look unto the heavens and behold the clouds which are higher than thou and be deeply comforted that He is with you, has always been. Even in the strangest experience to go before you, He will be with you, He will not fail you, neither forsake you. Fear not and do not be dismayed. If you are still hurting from such an experience, allow your soul be soothed by a consistent dosage of soulful worship unto The Lord and be at peace.
Indeed even when we think He’s gone on hiatus in the face of challenges; never forget you are priceless. He will do anything and everything to bring you to the utmost understanding of who He ultimately is to you beyond the comfort of your wealth, connections, empire, reputation and titles.
#Eveninthestrangestexperience #Faith #InyeneUdoekong
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